It's Not Wise to Judge Coaches on Bubble Results

We'll tell you why judging a coaches' on success or failure in the bubble is bad idea.

Regardless of results, no coach should be extended or fired based on what they do inside the bubble. Over the next few weeks, we will watch the NBA play under circumstances that no other American sports league has faced. 

What Adam Silver, fans, owners, and general managers should be most concerned with is whether or not players can stay healthy enough to make this grand experiment worth the effort. Inevitably there will be at least one team that fails to live up expectations causing a coach to be put firmly on the hot seat.

Since we cover the Thunder, let's take Billy Donovan, for example, if the Thunder go 2-6 in the eight seeding games, and find themselves facing the Nuggets (1-1) in the playoffs and getting bounced in the first round, how could anyone be judged those results? By the same token, if Oklahoma City were to win the championship going though teams ravaged by injury and coronavirus, how could we say, Donovan was now an upper echelon coach? 

Both assessments would not only be wrong; they would be dangerous. In a typical year, coaches only control whose out on the floor, how players execute, how hard they work, and what distractions they deal with is on them. In the case of Terrance, Ferguson Donovan could only react when Ferguson took his leave of absence.

Donovan made the call to give  Lu Dort a shot, and it worked out, had it not, Sam Presti would have been on the hook find the Thunder a suitable replacement. Now, we are putting coaches in a situation where, on a given day, a star player could be ruled out simply because they couldn't handle the restraints of the bubble.   

Over 82 games GM's know if the team is in good hands, that's why most decisions on a coach's future are usually made by now. The worst thing any of us can do is fall in or out of love, based on the results we see in the next eight weeks. 

First, there is a four-month layoff any consistency built up during the season is shot to hell. Plus, several players are choosing to stay out for personal reasons, so the scales are already tipped.

Games are at going to be at odd times, there is no chance of going home to decompress unless there is a family emergency, and any release you would typically get on the road is cut off for safety precautions. Coaches will be lucky if players can stay focused long enough just get through a practice, let alone an intense seven-game series.

The only exception to this rule is Nets', Jacque Vaughn. He probably can't name five players he's taking to Orlando.

 If Brooklyn manages to come home with the O'Brien trophy even if every team they face in the playoffs is using a G-League roster, Sean Marks should give him a ten-year deal on the spot. As for Donovan's future with the Thunder in April, Presti made it clear those talks would be coming in the future. 

" He's been our coach now for five years, and I think he's done an excellent job all five years, and our hope is that once we get some clarity on whether this is the end of the season or we're playing more or what have you, we'll sit down and have those conversations like we always have."

Presti is one of the most measured executives in the NBA; he understands that what happens inside the bubble is most likely an anomaly good or bad. It remains to be seen how other General Managers react to success or failure under these strange circumstances; either way, some organizations are going to crash because of decisions rooted in emotion instead of clear thinking. 

Mo Cheeks Makes The trip to Orlando.

According to Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman, six of seven Billy Donovan's assistants made the trip to Orlando, including 63-year old Maurice Cheeks. The only one who didn't travel with the team was Vin Bhavnani. 

"Bhavnani joined the Thunder 12 years ago as the team's video coordinator. He worked five years as manager of advance scouting/player development and is in his fourth season as an assistant coach."

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.